1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to speakerphones, and more particularly, to a speakerphone module having a universally accommodating form factor that is connectible to either a cellular telephone or battery charger.
2. Background Art
Conference calls have become an everyday occurrence in business. Speakerphones are often used during these conference calls. Due to their relatively small size, cellular telephones are generally not well suited for use as speakerphones. As the normal audio output from a cellular phone is designed for single-user, close range only, it is difficult for large numbers of people to huddle around a cellular phone and hear the caller on the other end. People attempting to do this often bump heads with each other and become quite grouchy.
To alleviate this problem, manufacturers have developed speakerphone accessories. These speakerphones couple electrically and mechanically to the cellular telephone to provide speaker phone functionality. The units often involve speakerphone circuitry that is built into a cellular battery-charging unit. Sometimes the recharging units are desktop chargers (meaning they charge a battery on the phone only) or multi-chargers (meaning that they also charge a spare battery). As the user must buy a desktop charger just to get a speaker phone accessory, this design greatly limits a consumer""s choice. Additionally, the user must aim the speaker of the speakerphone in his or her direction for maximum effectiveness. This xe2x80x9caimingxe2x80x9d is cumbersome and time consuming.
There is thus a need for an improved speakerphone accessory.